Step-bearing.



J. F. KEY. STEP BEARING.

APPLICATION FILED APILZO, 1908.

Patented J an. 6, 1914.

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UNITED sTAr ns PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES F. KEY, OF IPARAISO, CANAL ZONE, ASSIGNOR 'IO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

STEP-BEARING.

nosa'sss.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Jan. 6, 1914.

Application filed April 20, 1908. Serial No. 428,236.

e have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Step-Bearings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to step-bearings for vertical shafts and its objects are the improvement of the general construction and operation of such bearings and the provision of means for supporting and for expeditiously and conveniently iandling the bearing when it is desired to adjust, inspect,

or remove it or any of its parts.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating one of the embodiments of my invention, Figure 1 is a partial vertical section through a step-bearing; Fig. 2 is a top view 2c of the bottom step-bearing block; and Fig. 3

is a bottom view of the upper step-bearing block.

The invention is illustrated and will be described as it is applied to a vertical Ourtis turbine, but it is capable of much wider application. In the turbine mentioned, the step-bearing usually comprises two rela tively rotatable blocks between which a film of lubricant is maintained under relatively The turbine rotor is of considerable weight and rotates at high speed.

My improved bearing with its nested conical surfaces and its lubricating means has ver successfully met the requirements impose on it by such exacting conditions of service.

The bearing is located at or 'near the center of the base of the machine. Such a location renders the bearing somewhat dit'fi- O cult of access for inspection or removal and a passage is provided in the foundation of the machine to permit removal of the parts of the bearing from below without dismantling the apparatus as a whole. The

passage however is necessarily rather narrow and it is difficult and slow work for the workmen to handle the heavy members of the bearing in the limited space provided unless some means such as that subsequently 0 described is provided for the purpose.

In the form of the invention shown in the drawing, the upper step-bearing block 1 is keyed to the lower end of the turbine shaft 2 to rotate therewith. Cooperating with the upper block 1 is a lower block 3 which is stationary. The block 3 can be mounted on the top of a support 4:, as shown, or it can form an integral part of said support. For convenience in assemblin and renewing the block it is usuallydesira le to form it separately and attach it to the support. The-support 4: has a cylindrical portion in sliding engagement wlth the wall of the opening 5 in the casing 6 which is secured to the base 7 of the turbine and incloses both the step-bearing and the cooperating guide-bearing 8 located above it. Secured to the bottom of the support 4 and projecting downward therefrom is a screw 9 in engagement with a nut 10 rotatably mounted upon a supporting plate 11 which may form a part of the base of the turbine or may be mounted independently thereof upon the foundation at the bottom of the above-mentioned passage. An anti-friction bearing 12 may be provided between the nut and plate if desired.

Suitable gearing is employed for rotating the nut. In the present instance this consists of the worm-gear 13 on the nut driven by a worm 14 on the shaft 15 leading to the outside of the turbine at some point which is conveniently accessible to the attendant. A lever, hand-wheel or other appropriate means is used to rotate the shaft 15. While the gearing shown is used to rotate the nut in either direction, it also locks the nut and screw in any given position because it is impossible for the screw to transmit motion in the reverse direction through the nut and gear to the worm. An opening 16 permits the screw to pass up and down through the plate 11 when the bearing is being raised or lowered. The support 4: is held against rotation by the bolts 17 passing through its flange 18, but these bolts permit it to be raised and lowered by the nut and screw to adjust the bearing and the rotating element flange or ring 19 projecting downward therefrom. The inner surface of this flange is conical, beingv beveled downwardly and outwardly. Located within the flange 19 is a conical projection 20 having its surface inclined in the opposite direction to that of the adjacent inner surface of the ring. The depth of this projection'is less than that of the flange so that the two inclined surfaces form a substantially V-shaped annular groove having sides of unequal length with the apex of the V somewhat flattened or rounded off. A series of splaced grooves 21 leading from the base of t e projection 20 extend along the beveled surface of the flan e but terminate a short distance from the ower edge of said ring. The number of these grooves will be determined from the conditions under which the bearing operates. The lower edge of the flange forms an annular surface substantially at right angles to the axis of the shaft. The lower block 3 has a substantially annular ring or conical projection 22 of V-shape cross-section which extends upward into the similarly shaped groove in the upper block, the engagement of the two conical members centering the two blocks with respect to each other. The beveled recess on the inside of the projection 22 is of greater depth than the projection 20 which enters it, leaving a centrally located chamber 23 between the two blocks. The bottom of the recess has a series of radial grooves 24 in it extending from the circumference of the counter bore 25 at the center to the circular groove 26 at the lower edge of the beveled surface of the recess. Pockets 27 may be provided at the ends of some of the radial grooves 24. Lubricant under pressure from a suitable source is supplied by the pipe 28to a conduit 29 leading up ward through the support 4 and block 3 to the center of the chamber 23. The pipe 28 is so connected with the rest of the piping that it is readily disconnected when the bearing is to be removed. From the chamber 23 the lubricant flows outward between the bearing surfaces, its distribution being assisted by the grooves, and escapes from the bearing between the annular surfaces at 30 into the interior of the casing. From thence it can pass upward to lubricate the guide bearing after which it is drained back to the source of supply by the conduit 31. If desired, the guide bearing may be separately lubricated and provision be-made for draining the lubricant exhausted from the stepbearing directly back to the source of supply. The conduit. drains condensed steam from a packing 33 between the top of the casing 6 and the interior of the turbine.

The shaft or rotating element is normally supported by the blocks 1 and 3, and when the bearing is lowered by means of the screw and nut some other support must be provided for it. Any convenient mechanism may be used for this purpose. I have shown by way of illustration a device 34 mounted on the top of the casing which may be moved into and out of supporting engagement with the hub of the turbine wheel 35 by means of the rod 36 extending to the outside of the turbine easing. Bearing blocks of the type described have been found to work very successfully under the heavy loads imposed on them irra vertical turbine and a large saving of time and labor is effected by the apparatus provided for handling the hearing.

In accordance with .the provisions of the patentstatutes, I have described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative, and that the invention can be carried out by other means.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is,

1. In combination, a shaft, a bearing therefor comprisinga block adapted to be affixed to and to rotate with the shaft, the block being provided with a plurality of oppositely inclined conical bearing surfaces on its working face and said face being transverse to the axis of the shaft, and a of conical bearing surfaces parallel to the first surfaces, which are nested with respect tc said first surfaces and coiiperate therewith to center and support the shaft.

2. A step bearing for a vertical shaft comprising circular upper and lower relatively rotatable, blocks having cooperating conical bearing surfaces on their adjoining transverse faces, there being an annular projection on the transverse face of one block, said projection extending in an axial direction and having a plurality of oppositely inclined conical bearing surfaces which engage with cooperating'parallel conical bearing surfaces formed on the adjoining face of the other block to center the blocks relatively to each other, and means supplying lubricant to the axial center of the bearing to flow outwardly to the bearing surfaces.

3. A step bearing comprising circular upper and lower relatively rotatable blocks, one of said blocks having on its transverse face adjacent its periphery an annular projection with bearing surfaces and the other block having in its face adjacent its periphery an annular groove with bearing surfaces, the bearing surfaces of the annular projection and those of the groove engaging so as to center and support one of the blocks and being parallel, and there being a central chamber within said annular members, and means for supplying lubricant under pressure to said chamber to flow outward to the bearing surfaces.

4. A step bearing comprising circular upper and lower relatively rotatable blocks, one of which has on its transverse face an annular projection with inner and outer bearing surfaces and the other of which has on its adjacent face projecting members with bearing surfaces which receive said projection between them and operatively engage its surfaces, the bearing surfaces of said member being parallel to those of the projection.

5. A step bearing comprising circular upper and lower relatively rotatable blocks, one of which has on its transverse face an annular projection with inner and outer beveled bearing surfaces and the other of which has on its adjacent face projecting beveled members with bearing surfaces parallel to the first surfaces which receive said projection between them and operatively engage its surfaces, there being a central chamber formed between the blocks, and means for supplying lubricant to the chamber to flow outwardly to the bearing ,surfaces.

6. A step bearing comprising an upper block having a -flange projecting downwardly around its circumference with its inner surface beveled and a beveled projection within the flange of less depth than said flange, the beveled surfaces of the two forming a V-shaped annular groove having one side longer than the other, a lower bearing block having a similarly V-shaped annular projection provided with bearing surfaces parallel to said beveled surfaces which engage the surfaces of said groove, there being a central chamber between the blocks within said annular projection, and a conduit supplying lubricant to the chamber to flow outwardly to the bearing surfaces.

7. A step bearing for a shaft comprising an upper block adapted to rotate with the shaft and provided with a recess in its lower side having a beveled lateral wall or bearing surface, there being a centrally located conical frustum-like member projecting from the bottom of said recess whose base is of less diameter than said bottom, a lower block having a beveled projection engaging said bearing surface and a beveled recess receiving said member on the upper block, and

means for supplying lubricant to the center of the blocks to flow outwardly between their cooperating bearing surfaces.

8. A step bearing comprising a lower block having an annular rojection thereon with an outer bearing sur ace that is beveled downwardly and outwardly, there being a centrally located beveled recess in the upper end of the projection the outer diameter of which is less than the diameter of said upper end, and an upper block rotating relatively to to rotate with the shaft having a beveled recess in its lower side and a conical frustum-like member projecting from the bottom of said recess whose base is of less diameter than the diameter of said bottom, there being grooves extending from the base of the member along the beveled bearing surface of the recess, a lower bearing block having a beveled projection with its bearing surface in engagement with that of said recess and a beveled recess receiving the member on the upper block, a clearance being provided between the end of the member and the bottom of the recess to form a chamber for lubricant, and a conduit in the lower block supplying lubricant to the center of said chamber, there being grooves in the bottom surface of the recess extending outwardly from the conduit to a groove at the lower edge of the beveled wall of said recess. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 8 day of April, 1908.

JAMES F. KEY. Witnesses:

E. M. GooLsBr, E. J. NIoHoLs. 

